Almost all uniformed law enforcement officers wear a duty belt. Duty belts or the like are also frequently worn by military personnel. A duty belt is that platform primarily used for carrying gear, such as a handgun holster, baton, and handcuffs, which the wearer must have within an arms length reach at all times. In recent years, the number of items normally carried on duty belts has increased. Correspondingly, the weight carried by the average duty belt has also increased.
Holsters are one of the items which law enforcement officers or military personnel normally hang from a duty belt. The holster is generally connected to the duty belt by way of a holster belt loop assembly. It is well known in the art that duty belts have a certain minimum width, i.e., vertical dimension when worn; otherwise, they are a less effective platform for supporting gear. Further, tradition and style have also dictated duty belt width. For these reasons, duty belts have traditionally been in the order of 2xc2xc inches wide. This width of a relatively stiff material provides a solid support for all carried items, particularly the holster and its handgun, usually the heaviest item carried on the duty belt.
It has been suggested that duty belts having a more narrow width might be more comfortable to the wearer because a narrower belt may reduce the likelihood of the edges of the belt digging into the wearer""s rib section and/or thigh area. Consequently, for comfort, many individuals might prefer a duty belt having a width less than 2xc2xc inches.
It has been thought that it was almost impossible to design a single duty belt having the aforementioned desired characteristics of holster stability and comfort. Therefore, a choice had to be made between a narrower belt, which might be more comfortable but less effective, in properly supporting the wearers gear, and a wider belt, which may be less comfortable, but a more effective platform for supporting gear. It was believed that any comfort benefit obtained by reducing the width of the duty belt was outweighed by the weakening of the platform supporting the wearer""s gear. Thus, the traditional duty belt has remained 2xc2xc inches wide, and little has been done in recent years to improve the ergonomic comfort and other factors of the traditional duty belt.
Duty holsters are normally hung from belt by a belt loop assembly, which is typically 2 to 3 inches wide (horizontal dimension when worn). Many holster belt loop assemblies are S-shaped so as to extend the holster and thus weapon slightly away from the wearer""s body to make the weapon more easily accessible, provide a space for the wearer""s coat or jacket, and position the holster where it is less likely to rub against the wearer""s leg. The S-shaped design also conforms to some degree to the hip of the wearer. Holster belt loop assemblies, more recently, are almost always made of a rigid, relatively inflexible plastic material, so the holster will remain fixedly positioned at all times.
The S-shaped design incorporates a ridge at its centermost region for strength and rigidity. Because the ridge is made from rigid materials, it can be a source of discomfort, if the ridge of the S-shape design puts pressure on the hip or thigh of the wearer.
It would be a great advantage to all individuals whose job necessitates that they wear a duty belt or duty belt with holster to have a duty belt and holster which, together, reduce, if not eliminate, the likelihood of the wearer experiencing discomfort, while simultaneously providing the wearer with a duty belt and holster which provides the reliability and stability of the traditional duty belt for their intended purpose.
Applicants have invented a single duty belt which effectively has two different widths, a more comfortable narrow interior width, which is against the wearer""s body, and a wider exterior width, which is wide enough to support all of the wearer""s gear with the same efficiency as a traditional width duty belt.
The applicants have modified the traditional 2xc2xc-inch duty belt to include a raised foam padded inner belt liner. The inner foam pad, ideally, is the only contact with the wearer through his clothing. The top and bottom portions of the inner foam belt liner are gently beveled, so as to reduce the amount of actual belt area which comes into contact with the body of the wearer. Thus, the effective width of the inventive belt is less than the actual belt width due to the presence of the raised, padded, inner belt liner. For example, the interior portion of the inventive duty belt may have an effective width of, for example, 1xc2xd inches or 1xc2xe inches, while the width of the exterior portion of the same duty belt is 2xc2xc inches. At these widths, the duty belt is more comfortable than the traditional 2xc2xc-inch duty belt, but just as supportive and stable for the gear carried. The foam inner belt liner also includes padding for additional comfort to the wearer. In effect, the ergonomic belt of this invention acts like two different belts, a comfortable, narrow, padded belt in contact with the wearer""s torso, and a wide, stable belt for carrying duty equipment.
The duty belt of this invention allows the wearer to experience both the comfort of wearing a more narrow belt and the piece of mind in knowing that the necessary gear is hung from a stable and supportive platform. Thus, when the wearer reaches for gear, the gear will be easily retrieved because it was properly supported by the duty belt.
Faced with the objections of holsters rubbing against the wearer""s body, applicants have also invented a mating holster, including an improved belt loop assembly, which complements the aforementioned duty belt and which substantially reduces or eliminates the ridge found in the traditional S-shaped holster belt loop assembly.
Reducing the ridge of the S-shaped holster belt loop assembly aids in reducing, if not eliminating, discomfort caused by the ridge exerting pressure upon the wearer""s hip or thigh. The belt loop assembly of the holster also includes soft padding on the surface facing the wearer. The location of the padded surface is in that area where the holster belt loop assembly is most likely to come into contact with the wearer""s hip and/or thigh. The modification to the belt loop assembly""s design, as well as the addition of padding, provides wearer""s of a duty belt worn holster with a holster which is more comfortable to wear during all phases of duty, from everyday wear to foot pursuit.
Together, the applicants"" duty belt and holster, with its improved belt loop assembly, provide the wearer with comfort in knowing that his/her gear will remain stable on the duty belt, while also providing the wearer with additional physical comfort, heretofore unknown with traditional duty belts and S-shaped holster belt loop assemblies. The belt loop assembly of this invention may be adapted to most belt-worn holsters.